Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Identifying 10 cornerstone players for 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 17: Tight end Jimmy Graham #88 of the Seattle Seahawks drops the ball while being tackled by safety Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of the game at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 17: Tight end Jimmy Graham #88 of the Seattle Seahawks drops the ball while being tackled by safety Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of the game at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

No. 7: Safety Jaquiski Tartt

It might have been easy to give up on former second-round draft pick, safety Jaquiski Tartt, at the conclusion of his second pro year a season ago.

But all that’s changed in 2017.

Tartt overtook fellow defensive back Eric Reid at strong safety this season, after Reid suffered a knee injury in Week 2. The move forced the Niners to employ Reid at linebacker, simply because Tartt was having such a great year before being lost in Week 9 to injured reserve (arm).

Pro Football Focus went into further detail:

"The third-year safety was in the middle of a breakout season, having achieved a season grade of 85.7 through nine weeks which ranked 10th at his position. The loss is yet another blow to a struggling 49ers team; Tartt was one of only three players on the roster to have achieved a PFF grade of over 85.0 for the season (DeForest Buckner and Reuben Foster being the other two)."

The good news, though, is Tartt will be back next year. He seems to be a seamless fit down in the box in coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense, which likely forces Reid — a pending free agent — out of the picture.